Two skiers die in Aspen avalanche

A spokeswoman for the Lake County Office of Emergency Management told CNN that search and rescue teams braved "very, very steep" terrain and risks of another avalanche to remove the bodies after following signals from the emergency beacons the skiers had been wearing.

The two skiers were part of a group of seven who were caught in Saturday's avalanche on Star Mountain in the backcountry east of Aspen.

Two other skiers walked to safety unharmed, while the three survivors were being treated in hospital for an array of injuries, including a broken leg, a broken ankle, a broken rib, and a collapsed lung.

According to NBC, the avalanche struck above Highway 82, near the top of a ridge above the highway, but debris did not make it down to the road.

A statement on the Lake County Office of Emergency Management's Facebook page read: "The Lake County Sheriff's office has just confirmed two fatalities in the avalanche which occurred yesterday afternoon (Saturday) at approximately 5:00 pm. At this time, however, no identities are being released of any of the seven people involved in this tragic incident."

Avalanches have left six people dead over the past week in Colorado, Utah and Oregon after storms and severe weather have led to very dangerous avalanche conditions developing.